Vandals Deface Cleric’s Website Over Google, Facebook Complaints

Hackers have defaced the website of the Muslim cleric who petitioned the government of India concerning “objectionable” content on Facebook, Google, and other search and social networking sites. The website, FatwaOnline, is sponsored by the Islamic Peace Foundation of India New Dehli, and run by Mufti Aijaz Arshad Qasmi. It is a question and answer site where Qasmi issues judgments on points of Islamic Law to those who ask.

For at least a week, though, the site has been the victim of hackers who are retaliating for Qasmi’s role in the Indian government’s recent demands that Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo, and others remove socially and religiously objectionable content. The phrase “Probably best not to piss the social networking sites off!” cycles continually through the “News & Updates” sidebar on the site. Though the “story” is dated January 3rd, 2012, Qasmi says it has been there for about a week.

Qasmi told the Hindustan Times that other sections of the site were not functioning properly either, and that the vandalism was interfering with efforts to resolve disputes and answer questions for Indian Muslims who come to the site for advice.

This news follows our report yesterday that Google had begun removing certain kinds of “objectionable” content after a Dehli court issued an order giving Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo, and others 15 days to comply. The Indian government has been trying for months to force several search and social media sites to remove and screen content that the government deems morally, religiously, or socially objectionable.